FIRST TEAM AGENT DONATES LAND TO CREATE A COMMUNITY GARDEN

A group of amateur farmers – community members and students from Azusa Pacific University – had their work cut out for them Saturday, Jan. 28, as they cleared a vacant lot of dead vegetation and replanted fruit trees to make room for a new community garden.

Two years after their home and business burned down, First Team agent Fred Van Allen and his wife, Dawn, have donated the Pomona land to the community as a way of keeping the legacy of their own garden business alive.

“Our garden center was like an old-fashioned country general store,” Fred said. “We think a community garden will help in some way to keep that feel and allow us to give back to the community that gave so much to us while we were in business and so much more after the loss.”

The historic home and organic garden center, The Garden, were lost in a devastating fire in 2009. While they still owned the land, the Van Allens didn’t have it in them to start the business anew, opting instead to create a garden that would both feed and teach the members of the community.

Despite some legal issues that kept the land from being built on for two years, the Van Allens’ garden came at the perfect time—on the heels of another community garden’s closure. The piece of land, which is less than an acre, will be divided into three areas: two patches of farmland divided by a space for community meetings.

The Van Allens have also teamed up with Uncommon Good – a nonprofit organization focused on health, education and job creation – and Pomona’s Tri-City Mental Health Center. These partnerships will aid in the formation of such projects as an urban garden and a horticultural therapy program.

To learn more about educational opportunities or how to volunteer or donate, please contact Fred Van Allen at fredvanallen@firstteam.com.